Sacroiliac rotator

ABSTRACT

The sacroiliac rotator comprises a pair of adjoining parts A and B upon which the user, supine or prone, lies. The juncture between the parts falls approximately at the pelvic or sacroiliac region. Motion is imparted to one of the parts B in order to cause relative rotation of the upper and lower portions of the body about a center falling generally in the sacroiliac region. The part A has an arcuate recess or concavity C that fits the arcuate protuberance or convexity D of the part B. The opposite end of the part B is given a circular motion in a generally vertical plane in such manner that the arcuate parts C and D remain substantially in contiguous relationship. For this purpose, the horizontal axis x of up and down movement falls substantially at the crest of the companion parts, while the vertical axis y of sidewise movement falls substantially at the center of the arcuate parts. For this purpose, a special bracket E is provided.

United States Patent 1 1 3,620,210

[72] Inventors Robert F. Annas l,400,546 l2/l92l Holme. l28/74 Arcadia;1,453,0l3 4/1923 Koenigkramer l28/74 m mnsberger Los Angeles both ofPrimary Examiner-Richard A Gaudet 22 Filed Mar. 21, 1969 y [45] PatentedNov. 16, 1971 [73] Assignee Paramount Health Equipment Corp- ABSTRACT:The sacroiliac rotator comprises a pair of ad- Los g v joining parts Aand B upon which the user, supine or prone,

lies. The juncture between the parts falls approxlmately at the pelvicor sacroiliac region. Motion is imparted to one of the [54] SACROILIACROTATOR parts B in order to cause relative rotation of the upper and 3Claims 7 Drawing Figs lower portions of the body about a center fallinggenerally in [52] 0.8. Cl.. 7 [28/74, the sacroiliac region. The part Ahas an arcuate recess or con- 269/322 cavity C that fits the arcuateprotuberance or convexity D of [51] Int. Cl A6lf 5/00 the part B. Theopposite end of the part B is given a circular [50] Field of Searchl28/74,46, motion in a generally vertical plane in such manner that the33, 70; 269/325, 324, 326, 322, 323 arcuate parts C and D remainsubstantially in contiguous relatlonship. For this purpose, thehorizontal axis x of up and References (med down movement fallssubstantially at the crest of the com- UNITED STATES PATENTS panionparts, while the vertical axis y of sidewise movement 1 011 033 2 19Davenport M 23 7 falls substantially at the center of the arcuate parts.For this 1,076,475 10/1913 Albright 128/74 P p especial bracket Eispmvided- BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates toexercising equipment, and more particularly, to a body manipulatingtable primarily for therapeutic purposes in which a generally conicalmotion is imparted, say, to the lower portion of the body with the axisof such movement substantially horizontal and in substantial alignmentwith the user's spine. A device of this type is shown and described inUS Pat. No. 2,494,746 issued Jan. 17, I950 to Arthur Larron Colston.

In known apparatus of this type, two adjoining table or platfonn partsare provided, one being stationary and the other being movable. The endof the movable part remote from the stationary part is given a circularmotion by a crank mechanism while the movable part is confined for twomodes of movement: first, movement about a transverse horizontal axisand second, movement about a vertical axis passing through thehorizontal axis and approximately midway between the sides of the table.

If the intersection of the horizontal and vertical axes is at thecontiguous end of the movable part, as in said Colston patent, thenwedge-shaped clearance spaces must be provided on opposite sides of thetable to allow for side-to-side movement. If the wedge-shaped clearanceis small, as in Colston, there is a danger of pinching the body. If thewedge-shaped clearance is large, the body of the user is not wellsupported.

If the intersection of the horizontal and vertical axes is moved awayfrom the contiguous end of the movable part, then thecompanion tableparts may be arcuately formed with the center of the arcs coincidingwith the vertical axis. No wedge-shaped space opens or closes. However,the contiguous end of the movable part moves up and down, causingdiscomfort.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The primary object of this invention isto solve the foregoing problems and to provide an exercising table ofthis character in which the table parts have companion close fittingarcuate ends movable about a vertical axis centered on the arcuate endsand in which the ends of the movable part is not perceptably cranked upand down. In order to accomplish this result, I provide a mountingbracket for the movable part in which the horizontal axis and thevertical axis are offset or skew, the horizontal axis fallingsubstantially at the contiguous end of the movable part with thevertical axis located at the center of the companion arcuate ends.

This invention possesses many other advantages and has other objectswhich may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of oneembodiment of the invention. For this purpose, there is shown a form inthe drawings accompanying and forming a part of the presentspecification, and which drawings are to scale. This form will now bedescribed in detail, illustrating the general principles of theinvention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description isnot to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of this inventionis best defined by the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plane view of anexercising table incorporating the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along a plane corresponding toline 2-2 ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the swivelmechanism beneath the table parts, and taken along the plane indicatedby line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are further enlarged fragmentary sectional views takenalong the planes indicated by lines 4-4 and 5-5 of FIG. 3 illustratingthe manner of attachment and mounting of parts of the swivel mechanism.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are enlarged fragmentary sectional views taken along theplane indicated by line 6-6 of FIG. 3 and illustrating the movable partin different angular positions about it horizontal axis of movement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown an exercising tablecomprising a stationary part A and a movable part B. Both parts includesteel base plates 2 and 4 (FIG. 6) and pads 6 and 8 suitably secured tothe base plates. A frame 10 (FIGS. 1 and 2) made of solid rectangularsteel supports the parts A and B and associated mechanism. Four elements10a, 10b, and 10d of the frame provide an elevated platform for thestationary table part A, ends of the part A projecting beyond andoverhanging the frame elements and 10d.

One overhanging end C of the stationary part A is formed arcuately abouta center located beyond the end and falling along the center line 1. Themovable part B has its companion end D formed as an arcuate projectionabout a center that nominally coincides. The parts A and B are supportedin a manner hereinafter to be described whereby the companion endsremain substantially in close opposed relationship at all times,movement of the part B notwithstanding.

The stationary part A in normal use supports the upper torso of the bodywhile the movable part B supports the lower torso and legs. While thereverse arrangement is not uncommon in use, the end of the stationarypart A remote from the part B is referred to as the head of the table,and the end of the movable part B remote from the part A is referred toas the foot of the table.

The part B is supported so as to be confined for two, and only two,modes of movement. One of the modes of movement is a sidewise angularmovement as indicated by the double-headed arrow 12 (FIG. 1) about anaxis y perpendicular to the supporting plane of the movable part B andpassing through the center of its arcuate projection D. The other modeof movement is a hinge type up and down movement (indicated by thedouble-headed arrow 14 in FIG. 2) about a horizontal axis x located justbeneath the part A. The axis .1: extends transversely across oppositesides of the recess defined by the arcuate end C. These two modes ofmovement are determined by a bracket mechanism shown in detail in FIGS.3 through 6.

The mechanism includes a pivot plate 16 attached to the underside of thepart B near its arcuate end D. The head end of the pivot plate 16 isattached by two flat-head machine screws 18 and 20 on opposite sides(see FIGS. 3 and 6). The foot end of the plate 16 is attached by twomachine screws 22 and 24 (FIGS. 3 and 4) on opposite sides. The screws22 and 24 pass through a bar or strap 26 and small spacer blocks 28 and30 respectively. The plate 16 is in face to face contact with a hingebracket 32 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 6) and pivots about the axis y perpendicularto both and as indicated in phantom lines in FIG. 3. The foot end of thehinge bracket 32 (FIGS. 4 and 6) projects into the space between the baror strap 26 and the plate 16. A pivot pin in the form of a largeflat-head machine screw 34 passes through aligned apertures in the plate16, hinge bracket 32 and bar or strap 26 thus to define the pivot axisy. Nuts 36 and 38 secure the screw 34 in position. The screws 18 and 20have sufficient lateral clearance with the side surfaces of the hingebracket 32 to allow such angular movement.

The head end of the hinge bracket 32 is secured to the center of a pivotbar 40 (FIGS. 3, 5 and 6) by the aid of a pair of flat-head screws 42and 44 (FIGS. 3 and 5). The pivot bar in turn is mounted for angularmovement about the horizontal axis x. For this purpose, the pivot bar 40fits between two bracket arms or lugs 46 and 48 that project from theframe element 10d. Screws 50 and 52 have cylindrical shank portionssupported in bearing recesses 54 and 56 of the lugs 46 and 48 and havethreaded ends received in recesses at the ends of the pivot bar. Therecesses 54 and 56 locate the axis x. The parts are so dimensioned thatwhen assembled, the axis y falls at the center of the arcuate cavity Cas well as at the center of the arcuate projection D.

The horizontal axis x is located close to but slightly beyond the troughof the concave arcuate recess C. Accordingly, there is relatively littlevertical displacement at the very end of the part B. Furthermore, thereis very little vertical displacement at the sides of the recess C (HO.7). Since the axis y falls at the common center of the ends C and D, thearcuate ends C and D remain in closed opposed relationship.

In order to impart movement to the part B, a crank mechanism 58 isprovided. The crank mechanism 58 is of a type shown and described inColston US. Pat. No. 2,494,746. The crank mechanism 58 is operated by amotor and transmission mechanism 60 supported on the frame 10 beneaththe part B. This mechanism may be started, stopped and reversed byoperating buttons projecting from a control box 62. (FIG. 1).

We claim:

1. in an isometronic exercising table:

a. a first table part having a supporting surface and having one endformed substantially as a concave are about a center located beyond theend;

. a hinge bracket;

. means mounting said hinge bracket for movement about an axis fixedwith respect to said first table part and extending transversely of saidone end of said first table part and so that said hinge bracket projectsbeyond said one end;

d. a second table part having a supporting surface and having one endformed substantially as a convex projection about a center;

e. means pivotally connecting said hinge bracket to said second tablepart for pivotal movement about an axis passing substantially throughthe said center of said convex projection and substantiallyperpendicular to its said supporting surface;

said pivotally connecting means and said mounting means being so locatedthat said axis of pivotal movement passes substantially through the saidcenter of said concave arc;

g. frame means supporting one of said table parts; and

h. means imparting movement to the other of said table parts.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 in which said fixed axisextends substantially across the sides of said are whereby very littlerelative displacement results between said parts at the center of saidare as well as at the sides of said arc.

3. In an isometronic exercising table:

a. a frame;

b. a first table part supported on the frame, said first table parthaving a supporting surface and having one end formed substantially as aconcave arc about a center located beyond said one end;

c. a pair of bracket arms mounted on the frame and located beneath saidone end of said first table part;

d. a pivot bar supported between the bracket anns for movement about asubstantially horizontal axis immediately beneath said first table partso that the center of said concave arc lies on one side of saidhorizontal axis and the ends of said concave arc lie on the other;

e. a hinge bracket secured to said pivot bar;

f. a second table part having a supporting surface and having one endfonned substantially as a concave projection;

g. a pivot plate attached to the under side of said second table partand in face-to-face contact with said hinge bracket;

h. a pivot pin connecting said pivot plate to said hinge bracket formovement of said second table part about an axis located substantiallyat the center of said arcuate projection;

i. said pivot pin and said pivot bar being located so that said axis ofpivotal movement passes substantially through the said center of saidconcave arc; and

j. a crank mechanism for imparting substantially circular movement tothe end of said second table part.

1. In an isometronic exercising table: a. a first table part having asupporting surface and having one end formed substantially as a concavearc about a center located beyond the end; b. a hinge bracket; c. meansmounting said hinge bracket for movement about an axis fixed withrespect to said first table part and extending transversely of said oneend of said first table part and so that said hinge bracket projectsbeyond said one end; d. a second table part having a supporting surfaceand having one end formed substantially as a convex projection about acenter; e. means pivotally connecting said hinge bracket to said secondtable part for pivotal movement about an axis passing substantiallythrough the said center of said convex projection and substantiallyperpendicular to its said supporting surface; f. said pivotallyconnecting means and said mounting means being so located that said axisof pivotal movement passes substantially through the said center of saidconcave arc; g. frame means supporting one of said table parts; and h.means imparting movement to the other of said table parts.
 2. Thecombination as set forth in claim 1 in which said fixed axis extendssubstantially across the sides of said arc whereby very little relativedisplacement results between said parts at the center of said arc aswell as at the sides of said arc.
 3. In an isometronic exercising table:a. a frame; b. a first table part supporteD on the frame, said firsttable part having a supporting surface and having one end formedsubstantially as a concave arc about a center located beyond said oneend; c. a pair of bracket arms mounted on the frame and located beneathsaid one end of said first table part; d. a pivot bar supported betweenthe bracket arms for movement about a substantially horizontal axisimmediately beneath said first table part so that the center of saidconcave arc lies on one side of said horizontal axis and the ends ofsaid concave arc lie on the other; e. a hinge bracket secured to saidpivot bar; f. a second table part having a supporting surface and havingone end formed substantially as a concave projection; g. a pivot plateattached to the under side of said second table part and in face-to-facecontact with said hinge bracket; h. a pivot pin connecting said pivotplate to said hinge bracket for movement of said second table part aboutan axis located substantially at the center of said arcuate projection;i. said pivot pin and said pivot bar being located so that said axis ofpivotal movement passes substantially through the said center of saidconcave arc; and j. a crank mechanism for imparting substantiallycircular movement to the end of said second table part.